Mapperley Stud roars to Lion’s success
For Mapperley Stud, the week could not have been better. Only last Wednesday Mapperley’s young stallion Contributer (High Chaparral) sired his first stakes winner when Llanacord held on gamely in the Lowland Stakes (Gr 2, 2100m) at Hastings and Saturday’s Group 1 success in the Randwick Guineas (1600m) is more icing on the cake as studs prepare to announce service fees for the upcoming breeding season.
Lion’s Roar himself was behind a comment that the writer made to Mapperley Stud principal, Simms Davison, at the recent Karaka Yearlings Sales. “There’s a bit of a buzz about your Contributer”, was the comment, to which Davison replied: “Yes, there is and I have mentally begun to count up all the foals by him that I have in the paddock.”
That count might be one that the New Zealand Bloodstock yearling inspectors will be most interested in when determining Book 1 at the 2022 Karaka Sale.
Kiwi Chronicles caught up once again with Davison, a decorated former rugby union player with Super Rugby side the Chiefs, after this memorable week for the stud and stallion, with Davison under no illusions as to what has been achieved.
“Yes, it’s been a great last few days. You don’t often get that. First crop, a Group 2 winner then a Group 1 winner, especially a race like the Randwick Guineas,” he said.
When asked which was more exciting, watching Lion’s Roar win a Group 1 or scoring tries for the Chiefs, Davison was quick to reply: “Watching Lion’s Roar win the Group 1 because not only does it change life for me but also changes the lives of everyone involved in the horse as well. This is a lot bigger. It changes the whole business.
“Kat Malcolm, Steve Scaglia and Stephanie Blair are my right hand,” he said. “Kat is integral to the stud, Stephanie has been with us for ten years or more and Steven, who mans the office, drives across the Kaimai Range from Mt Maunganui every day. They are very dedicated and this result is a nice boost for all of us.”
Lion’s Roar is one that had been on Davison’s radar for some time, with his Randwick trainer John O’Shea keen to talk up the horse to anyone who would listen.
O’Shea, while head trainer for Godolphin, also trained Contributer to his three Group 1 successes in Australia, so, if anyone knows what the magic formula is, O’Shea should know.
“Right from the very start, he said to me he’s got a good one. From the very early stages he knew that he had something special,” said Davison.
“John’s been great to me all along, right from when I got started. He always came to the farm for the Christmas parades. He was one of the first Australian trainers we’ve built up a good relationship with.”
To believe that Contributer will merely sire distance runners might be a mistake. He thrived after his export from the UK to Australia and had the brilliance to score in the Apollo Stakes (Gr 2, 1400m) over seven furlongs and the class to land the Chipping Norton Stakes (Gr 1, 1600m), defeating multiple Group 1 champion Hartnell (Authorized).
“John also told me that if he had trained Contributer as a younger horse there is no doubt that he would have shown his ability earlier,” said Davison. “The horse had a lot more get-up-and-go than some thought. He had a huge turn of foot and was able to maintain a high cruising speed.
“That was probably the only frustrating thing in the early days, that some people said he didn’t win a Group 1 until he was an older horse. John made it very clear to me that he had faith in the horse. He said to me, ‘Simms, these horses will go early’, so that gave me a lot of confidence as well.”
O’Shea was correct. In his second crop Contributer has left the stakes-placed two-year-old Follow Your Dreams who won two October two-year-old races at Riccarton earlier this season.
His oldest are just three-year-olds and the future looks more than promising.
On pedigree, Lion’s Roar is bred on a pattern that was already successful. His dam is a twice-winning half-sister to Group 3 winner Vaquera, who is by Contributer’s sire High Chaparral (Sadler’s Wells). Vaquera could stay, having finished third in the 2013 Queensland Oaks (Gr 1, 2400m) but, fresh up after that Oaks placing, she had the speed to win the Tibbie Stakes (Gr 3, 1400m) at Newcastle.
Lion’s Roar’s granddam, The Mighty Lions (Grosvenor), was adept over ground, winning and running second in the Avondale Cup (Gr 1, 2200m) and twice finishing fourth in the Auckland Cup (Gr 1, 3200m).
His family includes Group 1 winners Press Statement (Hinchinbrook) and Pressday (Domesday), whose dam Kaaptive Express (Kaaptive Edition) is a half-sister to The Mighty Lions’ dam Maybe Yes (Last Tycoon).
Lion’s Roar’s dam Minnaleo (Black Minnaloushe), is headed back to Mapperley in the spring, while Davison was also keen to say how much he appreciated having clients like Judy Hewitt, co-breeder with Davison of Lowland Stakes winner Llanacord.
“Her (Minnaleo’s) owner is a shareholder in Contributer so there’s not much doubt where she is headed later in the year,” he said.
“If I had a whole farm of clients like Judy, life would be very easy. She has been very patient and has trusted my plans for our mare L’Accord.”
The smaller foal crops by Contributer are now in the past, with Davison explaining that the stallion has come through a testing time in the early stages of his career at stud.
“To avoid surgery we gave him lighter duties after he was kicked but the problem ultimately had to be rectified by surgery, so he had another light season but that’s behind him now.
“He had a full book last year and is running at around 80 per cent fertility.”
Contributer retired to stud at the same time as the launch of Complacent (Authorized), the 2013 winner of the Spring Champion Stakes (Gr 1, 2000m) ahead of Criterion (Sebring), on the Mapperley Stud roster in 2016, a challenge that Davison took in his stride.
“It wasn’t a big deal,” said Davison. “I was trying to make things work so it was head down, bum up.
“You just get on with it. I liked both horses and I felt it was important to offer my clients a choice of fees.
“Complacent will take longer to make his mark but I have heard of a nice three-year-old filly that is being targeted for the Queensland Oaks. His second crop was far stronger than his first so there will be some nice horses coming along.”
This week’s result is the fruition of what was an ambitious vision for Davison, whose Mapperley Stud has been in the family for three generations, with John and Doreen Davison founding the Matamata stud in 1964.
“They say if you work hard in this game, everyone gets their turn in the spotlight. Let’s hope it continues. We’ll wait and see,” concluded Davison.
Kiwis in Australia
Saturday’s Randwick Guineas (Gr 1, 1600m) was anticipated as being the next step for the unbeaten Aegon (Sacred Falls) to continue on his winning streak.
When he ranged up inside the 400 metres that streak looked a real possibility, until another Kiwi-bred, Lion’s Roar (Contributer), was having none of that. He flew past and made a loud statement in the process, all against a quality field of Australasia’s best three-year-olds.
The run from the Annabel Neasham-trained Mo’unga (Savabeel) was enormous. Locked up in traffic as close as the 300 metres, he had to be halted, yanked five lanes wider for a run, then flew home to grab a desperately unlucky second and a Kiwi quinella.
As good as Lion’s Roar’s win was, Mo’unga’s finish was outstanding.
The Rosehill Guineas (Gr 1, 2000m) is the likely target for both and on their Saturday runs both would have to be highly favoured.
In a very busy three days of black-type racing, no fewer than 36 stakes races were held between Friday’s meeting at Newcastle and Monday across the two countries.
At the Randwick meeting New Zealand was also represented by Missybeel (Savabeel), who added a second Group 3 to her now seven career wins. She is building a solid record and, at six years of age, is going to be an attractively performed and bred broodmare.
She is the sole stakes winner from her unraced dam Sitting Pretty who is an O’Reilly (Last Tycoon) sister to Hopscotch, dam of the top filly in New Zealand, Amarelinha. As the latter is by Savabeel also, that makes them sisters-in-blood so, if Missybeel is to retire, her blood sister will only keep adding to her value.
Their dams are half-sisters to Metal Bender (Danasinga) whose nine wins included four at the elite level, one of which was the Randwick Guineas.
At Morphettville, the Kiwis took out two races where Virtue (Charm Spirit) had an easy length-and-three-quarter victory in a 1000-metre maiden.
It was just her third start, having twice placed leading into this. The next race was won by Heir Of Tavistock (Tavistock). It was his fourth success, including two at Morphettville.
At Eagle Farm, Romakash (Roc De Cambes) made it back-to-back wins at the track, this his career eleventh.
Reliable Man (Dalakhani) sired an Australian double, as Reliable Star scored his maiden win at Bunbury, despite racing out of his class and against previous winners, while on the Gold Coast, Go Darcy is in good form having won three of his last four starts there.
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Amarelinha continued her winning form but had to find plenty over the last 100 metres in taking out Sunday’s Sunline Vase (Gr 3, 2100m). Next to her second to Aegon in the Karaka 3YO Classic (RL, 1600m), this was her toughest assignment but she showed great fight to get her fourth win (third stakes) in six starts.
The King’s Plate (Gr 3, 1200m) saw Entriviere (Tavistock) race away for back-to-back Group 3s and take her career record to five wins in six starts. This is a mare who possesses fascinating bloodlines.
Yes, her sire Tavistock had the brilliance to win two Group 1 1400-metre sprints, but he was always the exception, being by High Chaparral. However, Entriviere’s dam is by Golan (Spectrum) who is not noted for speed.
Last week’s Lowland Stakes (Gr.2, 2100m ) winner, Llanacord, is also from a Golan mare so there is every chance that Entriviere’s current short-course form could translate to longer distances. The way she settles, that is entirely possible, thus her future is very exciting.
The New Zealand Derby (Gr 1, 2400m) provided a thrilling finish with three across the track at the 200 metres. Rocket Spade (Fastnet Rock) stayed best but at the post there was little between him, Milford (Savabeel) and Frontman (Makfi).
Mufhasa Stakes (Listed, 1300m) victor Need I Say More (No Nay Never) is in fine form, especially now that his races have been restricted to 1400 metres or less. Connections might try him again beyond that distance but in the meantime he is proving to be the best sprinting three-year-old in the land.
The undercard at Ellerslie on Sunday saw Markus Aurelius take out his fifth win at start ten. The pleasing aspect of this win was not only him giving three kilograms to the field but also that he has graduated to Ellerslie class while his sire, Wingatui-based Ghibellines (Shamardal), is making a noise on behalf of the South Island’s small sire representation.
The Anderton family’s White Robe Lodge, where Ghibellines resides, the Wigley family’s Inglewood Stud and Berkley Stud, run by Edwina Morris and Alan Jones, are easily forgotten as they are geographically disadvantaged compared to the rest of New Zealand, yet they keep finding a way to make their presence felt.